Rehberg hears lots of opposition to Tester’s bill

Denny Rehberg didn’t write a bill that would designate more than 600,000 acres of wilderness while allowing more logging in western Montana, but he heard plenty of opposition Tuesday to the proposal. Rehberg held a public meeting in Dillon to listen to Beaverhead County residents about U.S. Sen. Jon Tester’s Forest Jobs and Recreation Act. The wilderness-for-logging measure has been controversial, especially in Beaverhead County. The measure would designate more than 500,000 acres of wilderness in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, with the majority of it in Beaverhead County. And most of the roughly 150 people who showed up at the University of Montana Western said they didn’t want to see any more wilderness, let alone such a large amount. “I don’t think the government does a very good job of taking care of anything,” said Van Davis, a rancher. His comments drew applause from the audience, as did most of the speakers who said southwest Montana has enough wilderness...read more